NHTSA Complaint #11309756 — 2015 KIA SORENTO

WE PURCHASED THIS 2015 KIA SORENTO USED WITH LESS THAN 40,000 MILES BUT HAD 62,000 ON THE ENGINE AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN I HEARD A LOAD TICKING AND THEN A VIOLENT SHAKING AND A BANG AS THE DASH PANEL LITE UP AND THE VEHICLE COASTED TO A STOP. I THEN LOOKED UNDER THE CAR ONLY TO SEE OIL POURING OUT OF THE OIL PAN. I WAS LATER TOLD THAT THE PISTON ROD HAD GONE THROUGH THE OIL PAN AND THAT THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE OIL PAN. WHEN WE CONTACTED KIA WE WERE MADE AWARE THAT WE WERE BEYOND THE WARRANTY PERIOD AND THE COULD NOT HELP US. CONSEQUENTLY, TO SAVE MONEY WE PURCHASED A USED REPLACEMENT ENGINE AND PAID FOR OUR LOCAL MECHANIC TO INSTALL IT. THE TOTAL COST WAS OVER $6,000. SINCE THIS TIME, WE HAVE BECOME AWARE OF RECALLS ON OTHER KIA SORENTO ENGINES, BUT WE ARE CONCERNED THAT OUR BLOWN ENGINE WAS DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE ENGINE/FUEL SYSTEM, MUCH LIKE THE OTHERS.